As Duke celebrates another national title, let's look ahead to next season

Brett Davis/US PresswirePurdue forward Robbie Hummel watches practice before the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Had he not gone down with a torn right ACL in February, the Boilermakers were a serious threat to make it to the Final Four this year.Now that the national champion has been crowned and this roller-coaster college basketball season has been put to rest, it’s never too soon to look ahead. With that in mind, here’s a look at our preseason top 10 for next season and why it has a distinctive Big Ten feel to it:

1. Purdue2009-10 record: 29-6 (Lost in Sweet 16)Had Robbie Hummel not gone down with a torn right ACL in February, the Boilermakers were a serious threat to make it to Indy. Instead, they’ll have to wait for Houston, the 2011 Final Four site. Plus, with E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson returning, Purdue has the experience and talent that few others do.

2. Michigan State2009-10 record: 28-9 (Lost in Final Four)Can Tom Izzo’s crew make it to a seventh Final Four in 13 years? With Kalin Lucas, Draymond Green, Korie Lucious and Durrell Summers returning, the Spartans are loaded. Throw in 6-10 five-star recruit Adreian Payne (4th-ranked center in 2010) and you’ll see Izzo in April again.

3. Duke2009-10 record: 35-5 (National champion)Losing Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek is a lot to absorb, but if there’s any program that can, it’s Duke. If Kyle Singler passes up the NBA, he, Nolan Smith and St. Pat’s star Kyrie Irving will be a formidable trio. Oh, and don’t forget about transfer Seth Curry, younger brother of Stephen.

4. North Carolina2009-10 record: 20-17 (NIT runner-up)There’s no way to downplay how poor Carolina was this year, but they are loaded with more blue-chip talent than any team. The question is, can Roy Williams get it to work?

5. Ohio State2009-10 record: 29-8 (Lost in Sweet 16)The million-dollar question is: Will Evan Turner return? Thad Matta brings in three top-40 recruits and if the national player of the year comes back, the Buckeyes will be legitimate title contenders.

6. Memphis2009-10 record: 24-10 (Lost in NIT second round)Yes, Memphis. Coach Josh Pastner has loaded up this incoming class with five top-75 recruits and loses only one double-digit scorer in Doneal Mack.

7. Villanova2009-10 record: 25-8 (Lost in NCAA second round)Once again Jay Wright will be a maestro of the guards, running teams out of gyms with speed and shooting. But their title hopes will rest with 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou.

8. Xavier2009-10 record: 26-9 (Lost in Sweet 16)The only loss here is forward Jason Love, but Xavier has proven to be the Gonzaga of the East. Jordan Crawford could be a preseason All-American.

9. Georgetown2009-10 record: 23-11 (Lost in NCAA first round)Greg Monroe has stated that he wants to come back to school, so we’ll believe him for now. With him, the Hoyas are top 10. Without? Bottom of the top 25.